NEW DELHI: All Indians stranded in Sumy near the Russian border were moved to Poltava in central Ukraine on Tuesday as Russia held on to its promise of a ceasefire. “They are currently en route to Poltava, from where they will board trains to western Ukraine. Flights under Operation Ganga are being prepared to bring them back home,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.
Bagchi, however, did not specify from which border point and when will they be evacuated from Ukraine to board flights for the return home. While the development is a big relief for India, Russia seems headed for more international sanctions with the US, UK and the European Union contemplating a ban on Russian oil imports.
The coordinated measures are meant to deal a heavy blow to Russia’s economy, which depends on energy exports. However, it will have ramifications beyond Russia. Reacting sharply to the news, Russia’s deputy PM Alexander Novak said a “rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market”, causing prices to touch $300 a barrel. Russia has also threatened to close its main gas pipeline to Germany.
Tuesday’s evacuation comes a day after PM Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodmyr Zelenskyy. Russia later announced ceasefire in Kyiv, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, paving the way for Ukrainian authorities to begin evacuating civilians in those areas. Earlier, efforts to evacuate from Sumy through a safe corridor to Russia fell through as Ukraine rejected the idea.
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